Article applying machine



A. ANDERSON ARTICLE APPLYING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 14, 1964 Filed Nov. 21, 1961 Jan. 14, 1964 A. ANDERSON 3,117,690

ARTcLE APPLYING MACHINE Filed NOV. 2l. 1961 Sheets-Sheet 2 j 'li 1| /6Z Q ze Jan. .14, 1964 A. ANDERSON 3,117,590

ARTICLE APPLYING MACHINE Filed Nov. 2l. 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Lig' United States Patent O 3,117,690 ARTICLE APPLYING MACHINE Axel Anderson., Rocltford, lll., assignor to Sandstrand Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Filed Nov. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 153,835 4 Claims. (Cl. 21S-.2)

This invention relates to an article applying machine and more particularly to a pneumatic riveting machine. An object of this invention is to provide a new and improved article applying machine in which the feeding of articles successively to the applying station is positively and accurately controlled in timed relation to the operation of the machine by relatively simple `mechanism and in which the article is positively guided during applying. Another object of the invention is to provide a machine having an article applying station in which articles are led to the station along a feed chute and means are provided for successively placing an article in the station including a movable member with a pair of olset legs which is caused to oscillate through a cycle by the machine with an article moving to a position between the legs in one stroke of the member and moving beyond the legs into the station on the return stroke of the member. till another object of the invention is to provide a pneumatic riveting machine having the article feeding means as deiined in the preceding paragraph for feeding rivets successively to the station with a movable riveting die at the station and a-pair of rivet holding fingers of spring material, the rivet holding members being normally constrained to receive a nivet and movable with the die vfor applying of a rivet, and a lost motion connection between the means for moving the die and the spring members whereby the die is tirst moved into engagement with the head oi the rivet and the spring members are then moved with the die to a position where the rivet is released by the spring members due to the flexing of the spring members which are no longer retrained against flexing.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. l is a side elevational view of the pneumatic riveting machine and showing a rivet feeding means and hopper associated therewith;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary iront elevational view on an enlarged scale taken from the right in FIG. l;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 3-3 in FIG. 2 with the parts shown in rivet-receiving position;

FiG. 4 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 4--4 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sect-ion similar to FIG. 3 showing the riveting die and rivet holders in an intermediate opperative position in full line and showing the fully exended position of the parts in broken line;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 6 6 of FIG. 2; and

FlG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing the rivet spacer in an cxtreme position opposite `from that shown in FlG. 6.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail an embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered -as an exemplication of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

As shown in FIG. 1, the article applying machine consansa@ Patented dan. 14, 1964 ice . air lines 18 and i9 ror connection to a suitable control system7 'including an air valve to obtain the cycling. The cylinder i7 is pivotally mounted at one end to the frame as indicated at 2d and the piston rod 2l is connected to an operating linkage for the driver. This linkage, in effect, is a toggle linkage with an upper link 22 connected to the frame at 23 and pivotally connected at 24 to a lower link 25 which is pivotally connected at 26 to the die driver `14. With the parts as shown in FIG. l, the die is in its upper, at rest, position and :upon extension of the piston rod 211 links 22 and Z5 a-re moved toward a straight line position to lower the die in a rivet applying cycle.

Means are provided for supplying rivets to an applying station at which the die 15 is located. This means embodies structure for lining-up rivets seriatim adjacent the station. In order to describe this structure, reference is irst made to at least one type of rivet that is handled by the machine and which is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. The rivet has a. head 30 and a hollow tubular shank 31 extending from one side of the head.

A supply of the rivets is held ywithin a hopper 32. with the hopper having an exit opening in a wall 33 thereof. A reciprocal feed device 3d is operated by a motor 35 through a crank 36 and a link 37 to feed the rivets in a knoavn manner out the exit opening of the hopper and onto `a feed chute. This feed chute embodies a pair of spaced apartrods d@ and il which are spaced apart a distance sufficient to receive the Shanks 3l of rivets therebetween, with the rivet heads Sill1 resting on top of them. This feed chute is inclined `downwardly -from the eXit opening of the hopper to the applying station and terminates in a rectangular box-like rivet guide 42 which, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, has a two-part bottom wall with parts 43 and 44 spaced from each other to define a space through which a rivet shank may pass with the rivet head resting on the parts.

The rivets extend one after the other `within the chute with their heads in abutting relation and in order to feed one rivet at a time into the station a rivet separating and feed member is provided, as` shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 6 and 7. `This member embodies a plate 4:5 pivoted at 46 to a generally hollow casing 47 depending from the upper frame y13 and urged by a spring 48 to move from the position shown in FIG. 6 to the position shown in FIG. 7. Ihe plate 4S has an internal opening 49 of a size to receive the rivet guide l2 and permit pivoting movement with respect thereto, with the movement being limited by engagement of the plate `with 4the exterior of this guide7 again as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7.

The plate has a pair of legs 5d and S1 which, as shown in FIG. 2, are offset from each other in the direction of rivet travel. With the plate i5 positioned as shown in FIG. 6, the leg 51 is in engagement with the leading rivet of the Supply in the feed chute and as the plate swings from the position of FIG. 6 to that of FIG. 7, the leg 51 moves out of the way to let the leading rivet move along the chute into engagement with the leg 50. As the plate 45 returns to the position of FIG. 6, the rivet engaging the leg 5@ can then move into the applying station. The means controlling the movement of the plate and timing it to operation of the machine comprises a pin 52 mounted in the die driver 14 for movement therewith extending through a slot 53 in the casing 47 and engageable with a cam surface 54 on the plate 45. It will thus be seen that as the die driver 1li moves downwardly, the pin SZ is .lowered to the position shown in FIG. 7 which, due to the slope of the cam surface 54, permits pivoting of the plate 45 under the urging of the spring 48 and with the upward movement of the die driver causing the pin 52 to return the plate to its initial position.

The means for receiving a rivet at the applying station and guiding the rivet as it is placed on the anvil 12 comprises in addition to the concave lower end 16 of the die a pair of spring members 60 and 61 mounted to a block 62 at their upper ends. These springs are constructed to have a normal non-stressed position, as shown in broken line in FIG. 5. With these spring members 60 and 61 located within the casing 47 to initially receive a rivet they are retracted and held in a position to have adjacent legs 62 and 63 spaced apart a distance sufficient to receive a rivet shank with a rivet head resting thereon. This constraint is imposed by a pair of side walls 64 and 65 of the casing 47 with each side wall being formed by spaced apart sections as indicated at 64a and 64b of the side wall 64.

The spring members 60 and 61 are moved in timed relation to the die 15 by means of a lost motion connection including an elongate slot 7G formed in the die driver 14 which receives the base mounting 62 for the spring members. With the parts in the normal at rest position, as shown in FIG. 3, operation of the pneumatic cylinder 17 causes lowering of the die driver 14 to bring the concave end 16 of the die into engagement with the rivet head 36 as shown in FlG. 5. Continued lowering movement of the die driver 14 causes the die to move the rivet downwardly which carries the spring members 60 and 61 therewith to place the rivet on the anvil 12 and as the spring members leave the casing they are permitted to flex outwardly to release the rivet with the spring members travelling on with the die due to the base 62 being engaged by the slot 70 in the die driver, with the lower limit position being shown in FIG. 5. Upon return of the die driver 14, the die 15 will be moved upwardly and Once again the lost motion connection will take over to return the springs 60 and 61 to their normal position shown in FIG. 3. It will thus be seen that the upward movement or" the die restores the separator plate 45 to its initial position so that a rivet enters into the station and rests on the legs 62 and 63 of the spring members when the parts are at their upper rest position.

I claim:

1. A riveting machine comprising, a riveting station having a riveting head with a movable die, reciprocable drive means for said die including a plunger, a rivet f holder associated with said die including a pair of spring members located one at each side of said die and mounted for flexing movement away from each other, means mounting said spring members for movement axially of the die, a lost motion connection between the plunger and the spring members for causing partial lowering of the die prior to movement of the members, and means restraining the spring members to positions adjacent each other to receive a rivet and permitting movement apart as the spring members are moved by the plunger to free the rivet held thereby.

2. A riveting machine comprising, a rivet guide, a riveting station having a riveting head with a movable die, reciprocable drive means for said die including a plunger, a rivet holder associated with said die including a pair of spring members located one at each side of said die and aligned with said rivet guide when in retracted position and mounted for flexing movement away from each other, means mounting said spring members for movement axially of the die, a pin and slot connection between the plunger and the spring members for causing partial lowering of the die prior to movement of the members, and a casing restraining the spring members to positions adjacent each other to receive a rivet when within said casing and permitting movement apart as the spring members are moved by the plunger out of the casing to free the rivet held thereby.

3. An article applying machine having an applying station, means for feeding articles successively to said Station comprising a feed chute for the articles, an article spacer adjacent said station for permitting passage of one article at a time from the chute into said station comprising, a pivotal generally planar member at the level of said chute including a pair of legs, said legs being offset from each other in the direction of article travel a distance equal to the size of an article, and means for oscillating said member through one cycle to advance an article to the space between the lcgs and then beyond the legs including a spring urging the plate in one direction, and means operable in timed relation with the machine to permit action of the spring in one direction and return the member against the action of the spring in the other direction.

4. A riveting machine comprising, a rivet guide, a riveting station having a riveting head with a movable die, reciprocable drive means for said die including a plunger, a rivet holder associated with said die including a plurality of downwardly movable spring members located adjacent said die and aligned with said rivet guide and mounted for flexing movement away from each other, means mounting said spring members for movement axially of the die, means providing relative movement between the plunger and the spring members permitting the plunger to move separate from and a greater distance than said spring members, and a casing restraining the spring members to positions adjacent each other to receive a rivet when within said casing and permitting movement apart as the spring members are moved by the plunger out of the casing to free the rivet held thereby.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,101,924 Turnquist Dec. 14, 1937 2,638,591 Harris May 19, 1953 2,752,061 Michlein June 26, 1956 2,845,625 Appell Aug. 5, 1958 

1. A RIVETING MACHINE COMPRISING, A RIVETING STATION HAVING A RIVETING HEAD WITH A MOVABLE DIE, RECIPROCABLE DRIVE MEANS FOR SAID DIE INCLUDING A PLUNGER, A RIVET HOLDER ASSOCIATED WITH SAID DIE INCLUDING A PAIR OF SPRING MEMBERS LOCATED ONE AT EACH SIDE OF SAID DIE AND MOUNTED FOR FLEXING MOVEMENT AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, MEANS MOUNTING SAID SPRING MEMBERS FOR MOVEMENT AXIALLY OF THE DIE, A LOST MOTION CONNECTION BETWEEN THE PLUNGER AND THE SPRING MEMBERS FOR CAUSING PARTIAL LOWERING OF THE DIE PRIOR TO MOVEMENT OF THE MEMBERS, AND MEANS RESTRAINING THE SPRING MEMBERS TO POSITIONS ADJACENT EACH OTHER TO RECEIVE A RIVET AND PERMITTING MOVEMENT APART AS THE SPRING MEMBERS ARE MOVED BY THE PLUNGER TO FREE THE RIVET HELD THEREBY. 